Lifestyle

Jessica on the issues hurled at her husband David Bunevacz:“We’re really out there to really win the case, and I know, we’re gonna win it,eh. That’s why we’re very careful of the things we have to say. Parang angpwede lang talaga naming sabihan are the things that are already out in the court.”

David Bunevacz and Jessica Rodriguez had been on the mediafrontline when Beverly Hills6750 was launched in 2006. The former, who was then the president of thecompany, proudly flagged the clinic’s association to Beverly Hills SurgicalInstitute.

The original website of the clinic stated: "BeverlyHills Surgical Institute (BHSI), more than 10 years ago, started and broughtaesthetic plastic surgery into the mainstream of the Hollywood community. Overthe last few years, they have added aesthetic dermatology and weight lossprograms to their menu of services. They take pride in their fully accreditedstate of the art facilities, multiple convenient locations, and the support ofa strong team of medical professionals and technicians. Their facilities arelocated throughout Southern California, including Beverly Hills, Brea, Encino,Irvine, Long Beach, Palm Springs, Pasadena, Riverside, West Hills andUpland."

But last February 1, PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal)broke a special report about the dubious existence of the clinic’s partner inU.S. (Click LINK 1 and LINK 2 to view the two-part report.)

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On February 26, the new management of Beverly Hills 6750confirmed the findings of PEP’s American investigator. The clinic did its own researchand found that, “BHSI does not exist as a legal business entity and probablynever existed as such.” (Click LINK 1 and LINK 2 the two-part report.)

In an email to PEP dated January 28, 2008, David Bunevaczcountered the report that belied Beverly Hills Surgical Institute’s existence.He wrote (published as is), "Absolutely not, they had a clinic in upland,long beach, and were building out the new beverly hills location and just aboutfinished it when they had to stop. They even asked permission to use our logo whichi designed. When we started negotiations they had many locations then thepartners split but I was assured that they were going to build out a new BeverlyHills location which they did start."

Jessica Rodriguez stood by the statement of her husband.

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In her email to PEP dated March 17, she said, “It’s not truethat Beverly Hills Surgical Institute did not exist. When the company enteredinto the agreement with them, their services were offered in L.A., anddefinitely had operational clinics there. This is very easy to verify, i do notthink anyone can question that, as long as you pay attention to specific dates.”

She further wrote (published as is), “And more importantthan the number of clinics that they had, Beverly Hills surgical institutestill owned the rights to the name, which was the only thing that David wantedto acquire for the company. It did not matter much how successful Beverly HillsSurgical Institute was, or how successful they turned out to be. David waslooking out for the interest of the company—BH 6750, not Beverly Hills SurgicalInstitute. And he felt that, as long as they passed on the technology to thecompany when it was starting up, then the name Beverly Hills surgical institutewas the only other thing that the company needed to begin marketing itsservices in the Philippines.”

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On the question, who sealed the deal with the affiliate inthe U.S.?

Dr. Ed Santos, the managing director of Beverly Hills 6750, had said it was justDavid. But Jessica clarified that the details of the partnership had beenaligned with management.

Here’s her statement regarding the issue:

“Let’s be clear on this. If you are asking if David was theperson who went to the U.S. to negotiate with Beverly Hills Surgical Institute,yes that’s true. But if you are asking if David entered into the agreement withthem alone, that’s absolutely not true.

“The board of directors of the company was well-aware of theagreement with Beverly Hills Surgical Institute, from negotiations to theagreement to the assistance that they offered in setting up the company, everystep of the way. When David was able to reduce the signing fee for theagreement from 75K USD to 10K USD, the board of directors was even very happyabout that pa.

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“Also, you have to remember that there were expenses that Davidhad to spend to be able to close the deal with them. He would not have done that if the board ofdirectors was not advised of the reason for the expenses.

“By the way, these expenses were not questioned by thelawyers of the company when they sent the demand letter for P1.8M. So it’s clear that they were satisfied withthe purpose of the expenses, which was to close the deal with Beverly HillsSurgical Institute.”

THE CASES. Atpress time, the issue between David and Beverly Hills 6750 had been elevated tothe court.

Two estafa cases were filed against David by hispartners at the Beverly Hills 6750.

David also has two cases against the company he used to lead.

Jessica told PEP: “The first case has to do with whathappened to David in Greenhills. That was filed before the NBI for thecarnapping of David’s Porsche, the robbery of his personal belongings, and thebeating he suffered. I think theinvestigation is ongoing naman, and we are very thankful that the NBI is doingits duty diligently. They even made me prepare an affidavit on my involvementin the incident. We are confident that the evidence we submitted and theadmissions that they have made will be sufficient for the NBI to complete theirinvestigation.

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“The second case has to do with our rights as stockholdersof the company. That was filed before the RTC (Regional Trial Court) of Makati inorder to have the company subjected to a full audit. The case is moving also,but I think the lawyers of the company have been doing everything they can towithhold from the court the company documents in their custody. They keep making accusations but do not wantto bring out the documents in their custody naman. What we want is to bring out the documents sothat the truth will be known.”

Two more cases are in the offing but Jessica was advised byher lawyers not to discuss them before media.

In her conversation with PEP, she said: “Marami pangsusunod…Ang hirap kasi it’s more them, them talking, ‘di ba? But if you see thedocument that they filed and yung statement nila, you will see…You will parangthink, ‘My god! Gano’n pala ‘yon.’ Pero yung lumalabas sa media, iba. Paranggano’n. Iba yung sinasabi nila.

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Despite the controversies surrounding them, Jessica remainspositive. Some people may have been reacting negatively to the issues hurled ather husband, but Jessica says, “It’s really just one group of individualsmaking all these unfounded accusations.”

But she can not deny the fact that the entire ruckus hasaffected her family. “I have to admit that it’s a little difficult,” the talentmanager said. “The family is not used to all this negative publicity. When allof this started, David and I discussed everything that happened and all theaccusations that were coming out. That’s why I know how unfair this whole thingis to David and to the rest of the family.”

The fact that she and David are showbiz personalities madethings even harder. At the height of the Beverly Hills hullabaloo, they weren’there, but the press and media talked about them incessantly.

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Jessica said, “What made this more difficult is becausewe’ve been reading the false and malicious statements against us in the media,which we would want to respond immediately sana, knowing what we know. Pero,the lawyers of David have been preventing him from responding before the media,and have been insisting that we address all our concerns before the courtsinstead.”

And how’s the Bunevacz family now?

“So we are coping pa din, individually, and most especially,as a family,” Jessica answered. “In fact, parang this ordeal has made thefamily stronger pa nga. David is the head of our family and we stand by him101%. We are confident that when thetruth comes out, we will all be vindicated.”

NEXT REPORT: JessicaRodriguez talks about life after Beverly Hills 6750